10 Most Important Deaths in Marvel History, Ranked

Marvel Comics was one of many publishers who tried to take advantage of the 1938 birth of the superhero, but they were nowhere near the most popular, even with Captain America leading the charge. However, the Silver Age would change all of that. The House of Ideas stole DC’s more sci-fi oriented superhero universe (something they had started in the monster comics they had been doing in the late ’50s) and adding in the concept of a “shared universe” and characters who lived in the world outside readers’ windows. The publisher would begin its road to the top, creating some of the greatest heroes and villains in comic history. Fans have gotten amazing stories over years, and death has played a huge role in some of the best.

Death in comics is nowhere near permanent for 90% of characters, but it’s still an extremely part of the stories. Some deaths are obviously more important than others, with some of them having a huge effect on the history of the house Stan and Jack built. These are the ten most important deaths in Marvel history, each of them having a major effect on the Marvel Universe.

10) Wolverine

The death of Wolverine ended up being a disaster, but it’s impossible to deny how important it was. He’s one of Marvel’s most popular characters and he joined the legion of major characters in the ’10s who were replaced in some way. His death came at an interesting time. Marvel was about to marginalize the mutants (for the second time in the 21st century) by trying to push the Inhumans over them, and robbing the X-Men of their most popular character definitely played a bigger role in that than most fans imagine. It would lead to the introduction of X-23 as Wolverine II and Old Man Logan coming to the Marvel Universe. His death had major consequences for the X-Men, Avengers, and Uncanny Avengers, changing the tone of mutant books for years to come.

9) Cynthia Von Doom

Doctor Doom is a Marvel icon and none of that would have ever happened without the death of his mother Cynthia. She was a witch, using her magic to make a better life for the Romani in Latveria. However, she ended up selling her soul to Mephisto for power and would be sentenced to his infernal realm. Doom would set out to save her, constructing a machine meant to save her soul that exploded (because he didn’t listen to Reed Richards), scarring his face and leading down the road to becoming king of Latveria. He ended up learning magic and trying to save her soul, with some of this best stories revolving around her.

8) The First Ultimate Spider-Man

2000’s Ultimate Spider-Man #1 was a major moment in Marvel history. It was the first time the House of Ideas tried to create an all-new universe since the failure of the New Universe, except this time they just used new versions of their old characters. Ultimate Spidey was the standard bearer, his book easily the best of the bunch (especially after Ultimatum). However, the original Ultimate Universe fell apart and eventually Peter was slated for death. Ultimate Peter’s death is one of the best deaths ever, exemplifying the type of hero he was, and it would lead to one of the most important introductions ever, that of Miles Morales. Miles has become a superstar and the only way that ever happens is because of this major death.

6) Silver Fox

Wolverine (Vol. 2) #10 is one of the best Wolverine stories ever, telling the story of the death of Silver Fox, Logan’s Cherokee girlfriend. Their relationship took place at some point in the late 1800s/early 1900s in the Canadian outback, and she was killed on his birthday by Sabretooth in the cabin they shared, leading to the first fight between Logan and Victor Creed. This death is so important because it was the genesis of one of Marvel’s greatest rivalries. Wolvie and ‘Tooth have been trying to kill each other ever since, their hatred of each other becoming one of the most iconic in comics.

5) Gwen Stacy

Spider-Man’s history is full of milestones, but the death of Gwen Stacy has always been one of the most important. Gwen was the beautiful popular girl and Peter winning her affection was a major turning point in his life. She was his first love; their relationship was nowhere near perfect (Gwen was honestly a terrible human being; the fact that Stan Lee based her on his wife Joan has always given me pause for this reason), but they loved each other dearly. Of course, this made her a liability and Green Goblin took advantage of it, with Spider-Man accidentally killing her after Goblin threw her off the George Washington Bridge. Gwen’s death deified her in the eyes of many (especially Marvel’s current editorial staff) and was one of the biggest change to Spidey’s status quo, changing his life forever.

4) Captain America

Spider-Man may be Marvel’s most popular character but Captain America is the heart of the Marvel Universe. The Sentinel of Liberty has been successful for 85 years, fighting the good fight and embodying everything good about the United States. Steve Rogers would sometimes give up the mantle of Cap, but he always came back to it, surviving everything thrown at him. Captain America (Vol. 5) #25 changed that. This book spun out of Civil War and was the culmination of Red Skull’s latest plot, the issue ending with Steve executed on the way to his trial. Rogers stayed dead for years, being replaced by Bucky, and his absence played a big role in how the Marvel Universe developed while he was dead.

3) Captain Marvel I

Nowadays, Captain Marvel is Carol Danvers, but she wasn’t the first (or even the second or the third; she was the seventh). Kree soldier Mar-Vell came to Earth to spy on humanity and learned to love the planet. He became the first Captain Marvel, fighting threats to the Earth and beyond. He became the cosmic protector of the Marvel Universe, battling against threats like Thanos, but death would eventually find him. However, he didn’t die in battle; he ended up contracting cancer from battling the villain Nitro. The heroes of the Earth gathered to be with their friend for the last time in one of the most heartbreaking moments in Marvel history. Mar-Vell has never actually been resurrected – readers have seen him in the afterlife, past versions of him showed up in the present, and a Skrull actually thought he was the real Mar-Vell – making him a rarity in superhero comics.

2) Jean Grey

Jean Grey is the patron saint of the X-Men and like all saints, she’s felt the cold embrace of death. Of course, the difference between her and other saints is that she always comes back. She first died in Marvel’s greatest story “The Dark Phoenix Saga”, sacrificing herself so Dark Phoenix wouldn’t eat the universe. After some retcons (that have since been retconned), she returned, dying and coming back several more times in the intervening years. Jean’s deaths have always had massive consequences for the X-Men (except her second one, in Uncanny X-Men #281, mostly because no one remembers that one but me) and she’s become defined by her ability to die and return.

1) Uncle Ben

Ben Parker was the uncle of Spider-Man, raising young Peter Parker with his wife May. He did his best to teach his nephew to be a good person, loving him and supporting him no matter what. He was the one who told Pete that with great power comes great responsibility, something the newly christened superhuman would forget, letting a thief rush past him because it didn’t concern him. That thief ended up killing Ben later that night and that death led to Spider-Man becoming a hero. Without Ben’s death, there would be no Spider-Man, making it the most important death in Marvel history.

What do you think is the most important Marvel death? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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